Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Slip-stitch patterns work up beautifully in hand-dyed yarns. It helps the colorway show itself off a bit differently and adds some texture.

Pure Alpaca Paints is soft and warm - begging to be a cowl. There was some very interesting pooling and texture with this stitch. If you do not want a rolled edge, I would suggest several rows of moss stitch on each edge.

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Tis the season for quick knits. Decided it was time to play with Magnum again - our extra bulky wool that is the epitome of instant gratification. So I grabbed one of my favorite colorways of Magnum Paints and decided on a reversible cabled scarf. The result has been a quick and warm scarf with interesting color pooling.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

I enjoy playing with color. Double stranding a fine yarn and shifting 1 strand at a time is a fun (and easy) way to gradiate through colors. Top-down shawls are simple, yet provide a fabulous template to add some details. In this case, I chose a yarn with a subtle sparkle, double stranded it, gradiated through the 2 colors and added a bottom ruffle.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Sparkle is fun and perfect for the holiday season. Hollywood is a superwash wool with a hint of sparkle. Combined with a simple 4 row (3 stitch repeat) pattern, it worked up quickly into a lacey cowl that can be worn long and open or doubled around the neck.